Because You Believed, It Has Happened

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Because
You Believed,
It Has Happened

Scripture

Matthew 8

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!

¹³ Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Observation

It was the faith of this Roman soldier that amazed Jesus Christ! Wouldn’t it be something if your faith and my faith amazed our Heavenly Father?

Are there people in our lives that we want to see transformed? Are there circumstances in our lives that we want to see turned around? Are there prayers that up to this point are still unanswered? 

Of course there are, God created us and designed us to be dependent on Him. To live life the way God intended for it to be lived requires us to have faith in Creator God and look to Him for help with each and every challenge we face. 

The Bible is full of examples of men and women of great faith:

Even if He kills me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways before Him. Job 13:15 HCSB

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19

…. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Application

I will ask the Lord to give me the kind of faith in Him that makes Him smile! How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, everyday it seems that You give me more and more and more opportunities to exercise my faith. Things don’t seem to be getting easier as I get older. Everything seems to be getting harder and more complicated. I guess that helps me to have more faith in You and less faith in myself. Help me to have the kind of faith that makes You smile and not frown. I want to amaze You with my faith like this Roman soldier did. Help me to trust You today with the things in my life that seem and are so out of my control and that seem to be heading in a bad direction for those I love. You are Sovereign. You are All-Powerful. Nothing is too hard for You. You will answer my prayers. You are on my side!

I pray for my son Hugh today on his birthday. I pray that You bless him. Bless his family. Help him to live his life in a way that pleases You. 

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 24; Psalm 57,58; 1 Chronicles 8; Matthew 8



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Ask Yourself What You Want People To Do For You, Then Grab The Initiative And Do It For Them.

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Ask Yourself
What You Want People To Do For You,
Then Grab The Initiative And Do It For Them.

Scripture

Matthew 7:12

“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get. MESSAGE

“Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets. CJB

Observation

If we just put into practice this one small verse it could save our marriage, our job, our business, our relationships, and it could turn our lives completely around!

Why don’t we do it?

Because we are selfish! The core problem in our marriage, where we work, maybe with your company, with our relationships that have gone south is “Me – Myself – and I”. We have an “I” problem.

Lets change that today and put into practice Matthew 7:12!

Look around and lets do some things for other people that you would have liked for them to do for you. (And lets do it without ,,,,, grumbling!)

Lets not worry about what we will get in return!

Application

I will look today at how I can put this verse into practice. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, don’t let me be concerned today about me, myself, and I. Help me to focus on the needs of those around me and not on myself. You know everyone of my needs and You have millions of ways of taking care of me. Don’t let me grumble today. Put joy in my heart. Show me what I need to focus on today. Help me to live out what I read each day in Your Word. Remind me, as many times as needed that life is not all about “me”.

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 23; Psalm 31; Psalm 54; Matthew 7

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Your Heavenly Father Already Knows All Your Needs. Seek The Kingdom Of God, Above All Else, And Live Righteously, And He Will Give You Everything You Need.

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Your Heavenly Father Already Knows All Your Needs.
Seek The Kingdom Of God, Above All Else, And Live Righteously,
And He Will Give You Everything You Need.

Scripture

Matthew 6

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
 
³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Observation

Yesterday, as I talked with 2 different couples that were homeless, one of the couples was sleeping in their car, and the other couple had been sleeping on the ground. I shared with them Matthew 6:33. I told them that if they would put God and His Kingdom first in their lives that God would take care of their needs.

Their immediate and two very obvious needs were shelter and jobs. But there were other needs probably way more urgent that only God could see and that only God could meet. 

I shared with these couples that I believe that when we put God first in our lives, when we walk in obedience to what God has written in His Word that God has an umbrella of blessing that He places over us. When we choose to disobey God and we continue in sin it is a choice that takes us out from under His umbrella of blessing and that my friend is not a fun place to find ourselves.

As I talked to people yesterday at Mission Tampa and told them about the abundant life that they could experience if they would surrender their lives to Jesus Christ I realized that only God could open up their hearts and only God could give them understanding to the Gospel message. If I could reach in and change their hearts and change the direction of their lives I would do it in a heartbeat, but I can’t.

So why do I keep telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ? Why do I keep urging people to turn from sin and self and turn to Christ? Because I know that some of them will and I know that some of them will be transformed from a life of self-destruction to a life filled with meaning and purpose.

And I know that they have no hope without a relationship with Jesus Christ and by the way my friend neither do you.

Application

I will continue to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with every person that I can. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, there are so many people heading in the wrong direction. So many people are living lives without purpose, without meaning, and without You. Give me the ability to share my faith in a way that people can understand the Gospel message. Help me to live in a way that draws people to Jesus and does not push them away. Keep me from stupid sins, sins that would mess me up and leave me ineffective as Your witness. I pray for those I talked with at Mission Tampa yesterday. Help those who are homeless get off the streets. Protect them. Help them to put You first in their lives so they can experience the life that was intended for them when they were created by You.

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 22; Psalm 17; Psalm 35; Matthew 6

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In My Desperation, I Prayed And The LORD Listened

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In My Desperation, I Prayed
And
The LORD Listened

Scripture

Psalm 34

⁶ In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
⁷ For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Observation

Let me go and get my notes out from yesterday’s sermon! Pastor Bruce preached from Luke chapter 8 and talked about 2 people that desperately sought the help of Jesus. 

Here are a few things that I wrote down yesterday from what Pastor Bruce shared in his message:

1. Only when we are desperate will God respond. 2. God displays His greatest glory when you and I are dependent on Him. 3. Jesus already knows your mess (your disaster) and He already knows how to fix your mess! 4. Disasters bring us to our knees and make us willing and available to do what God wants us to do. 

King David of the Old Testament, Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood found in the New Testament, all three had this in common they were all desperate people that turned to God for help and God helped them. 

Let’s not be hardheaded. Let’s not be stupid. Let’s ask for God’s help with whatever situation we find ourselves in today. 

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20 Amplified

Application

I will pray to the Lord and He will save me from all of my troubles. How about you? 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I will bless You every chance I get; my lungs expand with Your praise. I live and breathe You! When I am desperate, I call out, and You get me out of tight spots. Your angel sets up a circle of protection around me while I pray. 

You keep an eye on me because I am your friend and your ears pick up every moan and groan. I get into trouble often even still but You are there every time. You are my bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken. When I cry for help You are listening and You are ready to rescue me. (Taken from Psalm 34 and Personalized into a prayer)

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 20,21; Psalm 34; Matthew 5

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No One Can Live Only On Food. People Need Every Word God Has Spoken.

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No One
Can Live Only On Food.
People Need Every Word God Has Spoken.

In just a minute I will be heading to church and I am looking forward to having someone else teach the Bible study class that I normally teach. I am excited and ready to hear the Word of God. After that I will go over and hear Pastor Bruce preach God’s Word. If you and I are not taking time to read God’s Word every day we are starving our souls! We become an easy target for Satan and all of his tricks. You and I were not designed to go without spiritual food!

Scripture

Matthew 4

⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Observation

Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’” CEV

In just a minute I will be heading to church and I am looking forward to having someone else teach the Bible study class that I normally teach. I am excited and ready to hear the Word of God. After that I will go over and hear Pastor Bruce preach God’s Word. 

I have spent a few minutes already this morning reading from 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, and Matthew.

If we are not taking the time to read God’s Word every day we are starving your souls! And we become an easy target for Satan and all of his tricks. 

You and I were not designed to go without spiritual food!

No one can live only on food. 

If you and I are not in God’s Word on a daily basis … then we are not living … we just exist! 

We could even be fat on the outside but starving on the inside!

Application

I will enjoy reading and hearing the Word of God today. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me love Your Word like Job did when he said, “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” Job 23:12 I pray for Wayne Varnes as he teaches for me today and for Pastor Bruce as he preaches. Give these men Your Words to share with us. Help me to hear from You today through these men. I pray for our church as we go out to “Feed the City”. I pray for open and receptive hearts of those we meet. 


Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 19; 1 Chronicles 7; Psalm 59; Matthew 4

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You Are My Master! Every Good Thing I Have Comes From You

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You Are My Master!
Every Good Thing
I Have Comes From You

Scripture

Psalm 16

² I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
    Every good thing I have comes from you.”
³ The godly people in the land
    are my true heroes!
    I take pleasure in them!

Observation

Lets look around. Lets take a good look. Every good thing that you and I have comes from the Lord. He is my Master!

Can you say the same thing this morning? Is He your Master?

I agree with the next verse too. The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Recently I have had the privilege of meeting some new couples at our church that have decided to make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives and Lord of their marriages. They are my true heroes. I take great pleasure in being around them!

Isn’t it time that you made Jesus Master of your life, Boss of your marriage? Isn’t it time to put Him first?

Want to be a hero to your children and your grandchildren? Live a godly life! Stay away from sin. Stay away from stupid things that become your master and mess up your life.

Application

Every good thing I have comes from Jesus Christ. Godly people will always be my heroes.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I look around my home this morning I have to say to You, I am so blessed. Not because of anything I can brag about, but because I recognize that everything little thing I have that is good comes from You. The best things in my life are not possessions, not things that break, gather dust, or get in my way at night, no for me the best things in life come equipped with smiles, they are relationships, friendships, they are people, especially people who have decided to live their lives committed to You. You have provided Kathy and me everything we need to live godly lives. Everything good thing we have comes from You. We are blessed!

I pray for my best friend Hugh Roberts today on his birthday. Thank You for bringing Hugh and Millie into our lives and allowing us to be their friends. Bless Hugh with good health. Continue to use Hugh and Millie to spread the Gospel and to further Your Kingdom disciple men and women they reach for Jesus. Let Hugh catch a big bass today on his birthday! At least bigger than the one that his son John catches!

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 18; 1 Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3; Psalm 16, Psalm 116; Proverbs 16 

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May The LORD Richly Bless Both You And Your Children

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May The LORD Richly
Bless
Both You And Your Children

After I finish writing this blog I will go and look to see who clicked “like” or who made a comment about what I shared yesterday. Putting up what I journal each day on Facebook helps me keep focused on spending time each day with the Lord. And if what I share encourages one person then I feel like the effort was well worth it. In just a minute I will look to see who looked at my blog yesterday and I will pray for each person and I will pray for his or her family. I could very well have the privilege of praying for you!

Scripture

Psalm 115

¹⁴ May the Lord richly bless
    both you and your children.
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

Observation

After I finish writing this blog I will go and look to see who clicked “like” or who made a comment about what I shared yesterday. Putting up what I journal each day on Facebook helps me keep focused on spending time each day with the Lord. And if what I share encourages one person then I feel like the effort was well worth it.

In just a minute I will look to see who looked at my blog yesterday and I will pray for each person and I will pray for his or her family.

Most of the time I pray that the Lord richly blesses you and your family. If I know of specific need in your life then I pray for that specific need or needs.

I know that God hears my prayers for you. I know that He will respond to my prayers. How do I know? – Here is why …

    This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

Application

I will continue to pray for God to bless each and every person that takes the time to look at what I share. I know that this is something that brings Him joy!

Prayer

May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. May the Lord give you the desires of your heart. May the Lord answer all of your prayers. May He make all of your plans successful.  Psalm 115:14-15; Psalm 20:4-5 (Personalized)

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 17; Psalm 9, 15, 115; Matthew 2;Proverbs 15

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Listen! Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

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Listen!
Obedience
Is Better Than Sacrifice

Scripture

1 Samuel 15    

²² But Samuel replied,
“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Observation

Saul disobeyed God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”

Instead of obeying what God said, “Saul kept the best of all the animals and Saul even he even spared the life of king Agag in total disobedience to what God had said.

Saul made up excuses for his disobedience and told the prophet Samuel that he had saved the animals to use them as burnt offerings and sacrifices.

This act of disobedience cost Saul his throne. 

Disobedience is so very costly. Moses, because of his disobedience did not get to go into the Promise Land. King David, because of his disobedience, brought death and destruction to his family. 

You and I can walk in obedience. We can please the Lord. It is a daily choice that you and I need to make!

“But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

Application

I will strive to walk in obedience to what God has shown me in His Word. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You have given me examples in Your Word of men and women that walked in obedience to You and how You blessed their lives. You have also given me examples of what happens when men and women decide to walk in disobedience to You. Help me to never forget any of those examples. I don’t want to live in disobedience. I don’t want to experience the pain and suffering that comes with that kind of life style. Help me to walk in obedience. Help me to keep my sins confessed. I want my family to be blessed because of the choices that I make and not cursed. Don’t let me mess up.  

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 15,16; 1 Chronicles 5; Matthew 1; Psalm 14, Psalm 114, Proverbs 14

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These Trials Will Show That Your Faith Is Genuine

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These Trials
Will Show
That Your Faith Is Genuine

Scripture

1 Peter 1

⁶ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Observation

Want to get away? Want to run?

Storms, trials, troubles, persecution, and hardships are all intended to show that our faith is genuine. Our faith is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – and it is not pleasant.

How do you handle getting tested? How do you handle trouble and/or conflict?

Peter says in verse 13 of this same chapter, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. “

I think that it is interesting that Peter tells us that because we have been cleansed from our sins that we must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters and we must love each other deeply with all our heart. 

 A lot of our trials and testing will come from people that God has placed around us. They are the spiritual sandpaper that God is using to make us more like His Son Jesus Christ. 

²² "You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart."

You and I must weather the storms by faith and exercise self-control. We don’t pout up, we don’t blame others for our problems and we don’t pick up our toys and go somewhere else.

We stay. We love deeply. We go through trials, lots of them and our faith remains strong.

We can’t love deeply with all of our heart if we bail on people when we get rubbed (spiritual sandpaper) the wrong way. 

Sandpaper people are everywhere!

Application

I will love deeply. I will recognize trials for what they are and I will not blame others for my situation.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me love people deeply. When I get rubbed the wrong way by someone help me to remember that this person is only being used to make me more like Jesus. Don’t let me bail on anyone. Help me to hang in there with them. Help me to love those who are not very loving. I want my faith to remain strong. I want to finish well. Don’t let me mess up.

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 14; 1 Chronicles 4; 2 Corinthians 13; Psalm 13, Psalm 113, Proverbs 13; 1 Peter 1


> If you are reading this simple blog this morning you are an encouragement to me!

> I have made it a habit to pray for those who read this blog! I enjoy lifting you and your family up to the Lord in prayer.

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My Grace Is All You Need My Power Works Best In Weakness

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My Grace Is All You Need
My
Power Works Best In Weakness

Scripture

2 Corinthians 12

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Observation

The Apostle Paul suffered with some type of physical ailment, he called it a “thorn in the flesh” we do not know what it was. We do know that Paul prayed and asked God to remove it, but God said, “no”.

We don’t know the reason why but many times God doesn’t fix the things that slow us down, He does not fix things that may cause us to limp, or even the thing that causes us pain.

My “thorn” in the flesh and your “thorn” in the flesh (if God has allowed you to have one) have a purpose.

As most of you already know, I have a messed up, quirky, damaged heart, and not a day goes by where at least some discomfort in my chest, extreme fatigue, or erratic/crazy heart beats don’t remind me that the thorn is still there.

It was last April exactly one year ago since the last time my heart when completely crazy. I was throwing a cast net off the Skyway Bridge trying to catch bait. I was fishing with my brother Rick when my heart went into ventricular fibrillation. I threw the cast net over the bridge rail, looked down as the net was going into the water and the next thing I knew I was on the pavement looking up at my brother and he was asking me if he needed to call 911.

When my heart goes into V-fib like it did last year there is absolutely no warning at all. I just drop. Within seconds this condition causes sudden cardiac arrest, which unchecked causes sudden cardiac death (in a couple of minutes). Fortunately because I have a defibrillator/pacemaker implanted in my body it shocked me bringing my heart back into rhythm and me back to life on planet Earth!

Let me quickly say, and sorry for boring you with all those details, “my thorn” is nothing compared to what other people endure. My health issues are minimal compared to so many of you and what you experience.

One learn for me: with a “thorn in the flesh” your “Ego” takes a beating - you can’t do what you used to do and what you used to do so easily now takes so much more time and energy.

So what are we to do if we find ourselves in the Apostle’s Paul’s situation?

We do as the Apostle Paul did and we pray and ask God to heal us. If God chooses to leave the thorn and He does not remove it, if God chooses not to heal us, then we do as the Apostle Paul did. We continue to serve the Lord the best we can and let the power of Christ work through us. We don’t give up!

Application

I will focus on what I can do today and not live in the past. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I will pray 2 Corinthians 4:14-18 back to You this morning:
We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 

I pray that this blog encourages someone who is experiencing a “thorn in the flesh” this morning. Give them strength Lord. Help them to bring You glory in the midst of their pain and suffering.

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 13; 1 Chronicles 2,3; 2 Corinthians 12

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The Godly Flourish Like Leaves In Spring

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The Godly
Flourish
Like Leaves In Spring

Scripture

Proverbs 11

²⁸ Trust in your money and down you go!
    But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

Observation

Now is the time when everything in our yards starts growing like crazy We have a huge tree that hangs over our garage that just grew a zillion leaves in a matter of weeks. And I will have to rake them all up come fall!

The godly flourish just like the leaves on the big tree over our garage!

A godly person is not someone who is perfect. A godly person is someone who daily asks Jesus Christ to be the boss or the Lord of his or her life.

So do we want to flourish this week?

Lets start by surrendering our lives to the Lord right now.

Application

Jesus, I surrender my life to You. I do want to flourish like leaves in spring! How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, it is my desire to live a godly life and to do that I know that I need to die to my selfishness. I need to put You first in my life. I know that when I do that I will flourish like leaves in spring! Today I put my trust and my faith in You and in nothing else. Help anyone that may read my blog today to do the same thing. I pray for Scott Harding and his family as they have the Memorial service for his Mom today. Give them strength! 


Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 11,12; 1 Chronicles 1; 2 Corinthians 11; Psalm 11, Psalm 111, Proverbs 11

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When The Storms Of Life Come, The Wicked Are Whirled Away, But The Godly Have A Lasting Foundation.

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When The Storms Of Life Come,
The Wicked Are Whirled Away,
But The Godly Have A Lasting Foundation.

Scripture

Proverbs 10

²⁵ When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
    but the godly have a lasting foundation.

Observation

Last week Pastor Bruce Moore preached a message from Luke 8! His message series is called, “Unstoppable”.

Last Sunday’s message was the story of Jesus, his disciples, in a boat, and in a storm with the disciples thinking that they were going to drown, and with Jesus still asleep taking a nap.

Storms of life are so necessary. They are faith builders.

You are either in a storm, just gone through a storm, or heading into one very soon!

One of the points that Pastor Bruce made last week was, “God is not in a hurry to get us out of the storm.” He is using these storms to build us into believers who are “UNSTOPPABLE”!

I always think of these verses when I am going through a difficult time - a storm.

    "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

The Lord created you. (Eddy), he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. ² When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. ³ That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3 (Personalized)

  Application

As I go through storms I will place my faith and trust in Jesus. He is my Anchor! How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I go through the storms that come my way, I pray that I will see You in the midst of the storm. Help those going through difficult times to put their faith and trust in You. Show them that they can count on You. I pray for Pastor Bruce today. Speak through him to speak to us. I pray that people would respond to the Gospel message and I pray that your people would be strengthened through Your Word.

Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 8,9,10; 2 Corinthians 10; Psalm 10, Proverbs 10

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But If You Remain In Me And My Words Remain In You, You May Ask For Anything You Want, And It Will Be Granted!

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But If You Remain In Me And My Words Remain In You,
You May
Ask For Anything You Want, And It Will Be Granted!

Scripture

John 15

⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

Observation

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.  And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.  And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” 1 John 5:13-15

When you and I talk to our Heavenly Father are we praying and asking Him for things that would please Him or our prayers totally selfish - that is the huge, the big, and the all important question?

Is what I am asking God to do something that would please Him?

When I pray for people and I ask God to bless them, when I ask God to show His favor on them, I know that I am praying in a way that pleases Him and I know that He will answer me.

What are we praying about today?

I believe, at least for me, when I am walking in a close relationship with the Lord He puts things on my heart that He wants me to pray for and it gives Him great joy to answer my prayers.

Application

I am confident that God hears me whenever I ask for anything that pleases Him. And I know that He will give me what I ask for.

Prayer

My prayer for anyone that may be reading my blog today

 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. 

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:16-20



Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 6,7; Psalm 72; 2 Corinthians 9; Psalm 9, 109; Proverbs 9; John 15

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My Heart Is Confident In You, O God; No Wonder I Can Sing Your Praises With All My Heart!

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My Heart Is Confident In You, O God;
No Wonder
I Can Sing Your Praises With All My Heart!

Scripture

Psalm 108

¹ My heart is confident in you, O God;
    no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!
¹³ With God’s help we will do mighty things,
    for he will trample down our foes.

Observation

With God’s help we will … do mighty things!

God wants us to walk in victory! He wants us to live victorious lives.

What mighty thing do you and I need to accomplish?

For each of us it will be different, but for each of us to have victory our confidence must be in God and not in ourselves!

With God’s help … we will take down Giants!

I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. Psalm 18:29

   

 Application

I will rely on God to help me today with the Giants in my life. How about you?

Prayer

 I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. Psalm 18:1-3,29


Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 3,4,5; Psalm 77; 2 Corinthians 8; Psalm 8, Proverbs 8

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I Have The Highest Confidence In You, And I Take Great Pride In You.

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I Have
The Highest Confidence In You,
And I Take Great Pride In You.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 7 

⁴ I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.

Observation

I am proud of you!

Those are great words to hear someone say to you and me, but they are even more special when you and I say those words to someone else.

Encouragement! We all need it. The Apostle Paul when dealing with the church at Corinth usually did not have very good things to say about them. Just think about his first letter and how fiercely he corrected them in 1 Corinthians.

It wasn’t that suddenly they were a perfect church when he wrote 2 Corinthians, but Paul saw things in them that he could brag on and so he did.

Good lesson for you and for me.

Letting people know that they are doing a good job, letting them know that we are proud of them, and letting people know that we still have confidence in them builds people up.

If you are on a team, doesn’t matter if it is a sports team or like at my house, “Team Williams”, we must build people up! They have to hear from us that they are doing good. They must here from us that we are proud of them and that we still have confidence in them.

Who do we need to write? Who do we need to call? Who needs our encouragement today? 

Application

I will be an encourager today.  How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to be an encourager. Help me to always see the potential in people. Help me to have compassion on people. Give me the ability to help people to be all that You want them to be. Don’t let me give up on anyone. Thank You for my family, my children, my grandchildren, and my extended family. Help me encourage them in their spiritual journey. I am proud of them. I do have confidence in them because I know that You are constantly at work in their lives and You are not going to give up on any of them. 

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 1,2; Psalms 66; 2 Corinthians 7 

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Give Thanks To The LORD, For He Is Good!

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Give Thanks
To The LORD,
For He Is Good!

Scripture

Psalm 106

¹ Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
² Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
    Who can ever praise him enough?

Observation

There are days, when the very best thing we can do, is to be reminded of what a good God we have and to give Him thanks.

If you are feeling emotionally low, if you are for some known or unknown reason a little bummed out, why don’t you do what I am going to do today, why don’t you give our God thanks!

Who can ever praise Him enough? Let’s thank Him right now, for He is good!

Looking back over our lives and remembering how God has provided for us and reminding ourselves how good God has been to us is a great way to change our attitude.

The highest form of worship that we can give our God is showing Him a grateful heart.

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me” … Psalm 50:23a

Application

I will thank my God right now and all during the day today. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praises … Lord, You will work out Your plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Psalm 138:1,8 (Personalized) I will give thanks to You and bless Your name. For You are always good. You are always loving and kind, and Your faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation. Psalm 100:4,5 Personalized 


Daily Bible Reading:  Ruth 3,4; Psalms 64,65; 2 Corinthians 6; Psalm 6, 106; Proverbs 6

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So We Are Christ Ambassadors

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So
We Are
Christ Ambassadors

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5

²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Observation

You and I represent the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His ambassadors. We are either a good representative or a poor one!

This is the reason why we should live lives that brings God glory!

This is the higher motivation for me and this is the higher motivation for you not to sin.

Life is not all about “me”. Life is not all about “you”. Life is all about or should be all about – Jesus Christ!

You and I need to live our lives in the very best way possible because we represent Jesus Christ!

How is that going? Do people see Jesus in you? Do people see Jesus in me?

Let’s get rid of everything in our lives that contradicts the relationship that we say we have with Christ.

Lets do it today!

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

 Application

I will ask the Lord to show me everything in my life that hinders my effectiveness as His ambassador and I will ask Him to help me to get rid of it. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I want to be an effective ambassador for Christ. I want people to see Jesus in me. I want to speak to them on your behalf. I want to share with those I come in contact with about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Show me any bad habits, show me anything in my life that does not please You and then give me the strength and the faith to stop those things so I can be more effective for You. 

Daily Bible Reading:  Ruth 1,2; Psalms 53, 61; 2 Corinthians 5

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We Have Troubles All Around Us, But We Are Not Defeated. We Do Not Know What To Do, But We Do Not Give Up The Hope Of Living.

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We Have Troubles All Around Us, But We Are Not Defeated.
We Do Not Know What To Do,
But We Do Not Give Up The Hope Of Living.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 4

⁷ We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us. ⁸ We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. ⁹ We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.

Observation

Just because Jesus Christ is our Lord and our Savior does not mean that this life of ours is going to be easy. There are several reasons for that and I will give you a few:

1. We live in a fallen world that is under the control of Satan. 2 Corinthians 4:4
2. I am a sinner.
3. You are a sinner.

I have had a few days lately where I did not know what to do. I have been like the Apostle Paul says in NLT translation of verse 8, I have been “perplexed”, but I have not given up hope. How about you?

The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 shares his heart with us. He is being completely honest when he writes these words. You and I should be encouraged by what we read today.

You and I are like jars of clay. We are fragile. We are weak. The treasure of God resides within us. We are not the treasure. We are the clay.

The great power in our lives is from God, not from us!

Here is the key to living a successful Christian life. It is found in verse 2 Corinthians 4:5
“We do not preach about ourselves, but we preach that Jesus Christ is Lord and that we are your servants for Jesus.”
Just in case you missed it, “we are your servants for Jesus.”

Application

I will strive this week to let people see the Treasure that resides in me. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me have a servant’s heart. Help me to live in a way that people see Jesus in me. I know that the Treasure resides in me. I know that I am the clay jar. I have troubles all around me, but I am not defeated. There are times when I do not know what to do, but I do not give up the hope of living.  I feel persecuted sometimes, but You do not leave me. I am hurt sometimes, but I am not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:7-9 Personalized)

Daily Bible Reading:  Judges 19,20,21; 2 Corinthians 4

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